Refugee Gastronomy and Sustainable Development: The Case of Gaziantep

Year 2025, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 39 - 53, 25.06.2025

Nur İncetahtacı

Abstract

The number of refugees worldwide has reached 120 million due to increasing wars, population growth, famine and economic problems. The number of refugees has increased by 8.8% in the last year, and it is estimated that the actual number exceeds official figures. It is also predicted that many societies will face refugee and/or migration situations in the future, making the integration of refugees with settled communities a significant issue. Approximately 80% of refugees are unable to return to their home countries, making integration with the host communities almost mandatory. Throughout history, successful and developed societies have used the human and cultural resources of refugees to achieve rapid development.
Gastronomy plays a strategic role in this integration process, acting as a powerful tool that transcends cultural barriers and builds bridges between refugees and local communities. Refugees, by introducing the rich cultural heritage they bring with them to new societies, not only preserve their own identities but also ensure the sustainability of this heritage. In this context, gastronomy not only supports cultural sustainability but also functions as a means of social integration.
This study discusses how food and gastronomy, as tools that facilitate the integration of refugees with local populations, contribute to the construction of a sustainable future and sustainable culture. By sharing their culinary cultures, refugees add economic and social value to the new communities they join while securing both local and their own cultural sustainability by passing their heritage on to future generations. They bring the effective power of cultural richness and diversity to the societies in which they are integrated. These processes strengthen social cohesion, cultural diversity and economic resilience, which are essential foundations of sustainable development.
The aim of this study is to reveal how this process of integration contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to identify which specific goals are supported through the use of food and gastronomy as tools for refugee integration.

Keywords

Food, sociology, refugees, culture

Mülteci Gastronomisi ve Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma: Gaziantep Örneği

Abstract

Savaşlar, nüfus artışı, kıtlık ve ekonomik sorunlar nedeniyle dünya genelindeki mülteci sayısı 120 milyona ulaşmıştır. Mülteci sayısı son bir yılda %8,8 artmış olup, gerçek sayının resmi rakamların üzerinde olduğu tahmin edilmektedir. Gelecekte birçok toplumun mültecilik ve/veya göçmenlikle karşı karşıya kalacağı öngörülmekte, bu da mültecilerin yerleşik toplumlarla entegrasyonunu önemli bir konu haline getirmektedir. Yaklaşık %80’lik bir kesim kendi ülkelerine geri dönememekte, bu da ev sahibi topluluklarla entegrasyonu neredeyse zorunlu kılmaktadır. Tarih boyunca başarılı ve gelişmiş toplumlar, mültecilerin sahip olduğu insan kaynağını ve kültürel birikimi kullanarak hızlı kalkınma sağlamışlardır.
Gastronomi, bu entegrasyon sürecinde stratejik bir rol oynamakta; kültürel engelleri aşan güçlü bir araç olarak mültecilerle yerel topluluklar arasında köprüler kurmaktadır. Mülteciler, geldikleri toplumlara taşıdıkları zengin kültürel mirası tanıtarak yalnızca kendi kimliklerini korumakla kalmaz, aynı zamanda bu mirasın sürdürülebilirliğini de sağlarlar. Bu bağlamda, gastronomi sadece kültürel sürdürülebilirliği desteklemekle kalmaz, aynı zamanda sosyal entegrasyonun bir aracı olarak da işlev görür.
Bu çalışma, mültecilerin yerel halklarla entegrasyonunu kolaylaştıran bir araç olarak yiyecek ve gastronominin sürdürülebilir bir gelecek ve sürdürülebilir bir kültür inşasına nasıl katkı sağladığını tartışmaktadır. Mülteciler, gastronomi kültürlerini paylaşarak katıldıkları yeni topluluklara ekonomik ve sosyal değer katmakta; kültürel miraslarını gelecek nesillere aktararak hem yerel hem de kendi kültürel sürdürülebilirliklerini güvence altına almaktadırlar. Entegre oldukları toplumlara kültürel zenginlik ve çeşitliliğin etkili gücünü taşımaktadırlar. Bu süreçler, sürdürülebilir kalkınmanın temel unsurları olan sosyal uyumu, kültürel çeşitliliği ve ekonomik dayanıklılığı güçlendirmektedir.
Bu çalışmanın amacı, mültecilerin entegrasyonunun Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçlarına (SKA) nasıl katkı sağladığını ortaya koymak ve gıda ile gastronominin bu süreçte hangi spesifik hedeflere hizmet ettiğini belirlemektir.

Keywords

Gıda, sosyoloji, mülteciler, kültür

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